


Around The World For A Kiss

by 999blackflowers



Category: Layton Kyouju Series | Professor Layton Series
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Angst, stowaway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-11
Updated: 2015-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-14 07:15:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29788362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/999blackflowers/pseuds/999blackflowers
Summary: [Old Archived Work from November 2015, Uploaded March 2021]Luke Triton stows away on a ship to return home from America back to London to reunite with his beloved Professah.
Relationships: Hershel Layton/Luke Triton
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N from 999blackflowers: This is an old work from late 2015 and have reuploaded onto AO3 for posterity and archival. The original can be found on Wattpad. As this is an old work this will not be canon accurate or accurate to my current interpretation of the characters. I was not a very good writer but again - archival. I hope you enjoy. There will be no trigger warnings through this work. This fanfiction does not contain explicit content. This fanfiction does not criticize Luke and Hershel's relationship when it would obviously be unacceptable in real life.

A gentle, bored applause echoed throughout the dull wooden classroom. Disinterested boys and girls all wearing uniforms, yawning and wondering when the day was going to end. At the front of the room stood Luke Triton, shyly holding a workbook in his hands. He wished he could hide behind it, still not feeling a shred more confident.

"Thank you, Triton. That was a wonderful poem." The spectacled teacher, just as bored said in her grey monotone. "Please return to your seat."

Luke didn't say a word, merely making silent, empty footsteps back to his desk. His dark shoes didn't make a sound on the normally creaking dark floor, with small puddles of chalk dust being trodden on by silent feet. He slid down into his seat, sitting at the back of the classroom. His eyes remained blank, saddened, much like a puppet. Their shine had been lost and covered with a glaze. The teacher gave a false sweet smile to the class, checking a clock that stood in the corner of the class.

"It appears it's your lunchtime." She announced, keeping her tone peppy to try and bring a better atmosphere to the area. "You may go outside and eat lunch."

The students all grinned, glad to be free of their class, immediately getting up, grouping into their closed friend circle and all walking outside, snatching up their lunch bags and running outside together, making talk about their lives.

Luke gently picked up his lunch bag after a few seconds of delay. He was busy thinking and felt detached from the world around him, busy in his mind and drifting through the endless river of his thoughts. He slid out from his desk and went outside to see one of his friends.

His friend, Cody, was sitting in direct sunlight on the concrete ground outside the schoolhouse building, gnawing at a sandwich. Luke sat down next to him, reaching into his lunch bag and blankly eating a carrot.

"Are you okay, Luke?" Cody asked, noticing Luke's empty stare.

Luke looked up, realising he had zoned out again. "Yeah, I'm f-fine." He gently shook his head, trying to keep himself more landed in reality. Cody smiled and nodded. Luke didn't talk much... It was normal for him to zone out.

"Are you sure you're okay? Why do you zone out so much?" Cody felt like there was something Luke kept buried deep down.

"I d-don't like to talk about it." Luke grasped at his lunch bag a bit more, fingers digging into the thin brown paper. His lower lip trembled slightly.

"Is it about London?"

Luke paused for a second and nodded gently. Since moving away from London, he'd gradually developed a rather unhealthy obsession with the place. It may have not been perfect, but to Luke it was his idea of heaven. It wasn't the atmosphere, the city life, or the culture there, that made it such an appealing memory, however...

"Do you miss your friends there?"

Luke shook his head, not feeling like moving his mouth. He remained slightly detached from the world around him.

"Is... Is it about the professor?" Cody continued to dig Luke's fragile shaken mind for information.

Even "professor" triggered a flood of memories for Luke. Memories he looked back on fondly, the memories he re-lived in his dreams each night. They didn't make him feel uplifted or weightless, they made him feel down. He wanted to be back home.

Luke's glazed over eyes dimmed even more so. He temporarily lost any sense of caring for his physical self, instead mind lucidly travelling through his memories. He felt a quiet sense of joy from doing this, even if it left his physical form looking dead.

He made a small "nnn" grunt, his mouth closed, the sound hardly audible. His head tilted to the side and stared unblinkingly into space.

"Luke? Luke, please don't zone out... Please..." Cody took Luke's shoulders and shook him. Luke didn't respond. He didn't want to anyway. He knew it how difficult it was to bring him up from his stupor. Cody inflated his cheeks with air from frustration and slapped Luke across the face, usually a sure-fire way to wake him up.

Luke shuddered violently, hand going to his cheek slowly. His eyes had brightened slightly but remained appearing dead.

"I'm s-sorry..." Luke whispered, shaking his head sluggishly. "I... I just... wanna... g-go..." His voice trailed off, before finishing his sentence a few moments later in a tiny whisper.

"Home."


	2. Chapter 2

Luke sat at the dinner table that night, staring down at his food, consisting of steamed broccoli, steak in gravy with mushrooms, and topped off with cauliflower. He wasn't hungry at all, despite having not eaten anything since lunchtime, and merely poked the expertly cooked food around on his plate, mixing the different sauces as he did. This had become rather common recently, and occasionally he wouldn't want breakfast either. 

His parents sat opposite him, having become rather used to Luke's loss of appetite and quiet moods.

"How was school?" Luke's father asked, trying to start up a conversation with Luke who had appeared to be gradually retreating into a depressed shell more and more by the day.

Luke looked up, forcing a smile which he hoped was good enough to convince his parents that he was happy. "It was good!" He put up a happy facade, stabbing his fork into a bit of steak which his parents had cut up for him, and putting the piece in his mouth.

"Luke, are you sure it was okay? You're acting strange." Luke's father pointed out, making the child feel a bit sick for a second. He didn't want to eat any more but made himself eat another bite.

"It's fine! I'm fine!" Luke tried to make himself happy.

"Are you sure? You can tell us." His father continued to try and get information out of Luke. His mood and gradual trickle changing his personality was a bit concerning.

"I..." Luke said, his voice barely above a whisper. He could hardly make his voice any louder.

"You?" Luke's father continued to press him for information.

Luke stood up, trying to make his point clearer and louder. He wanted to tell his parents this but he couldn't say the real reason why he desired it.

"I WANT-" Luke's voice started out as an angered yell, all his angered emotions and aggravated frustration being exerted out in his voice. His parent's eyes widened in shock and Luke felt a stabbing guilt.

"...to go home..." Luke's voice fell to a murmur, sinking down into his chair again. He held his hands together and stared down at the table.

He sat down, his parents still and in utter silence.

"...to London." His voice was barely a whisper. He stared down at his plate, eyes on his food. His parents exchanged glances before his mother smiled at Luke.

"We'll go tomorrow!" She said in a joyful tone. Luke suddenly felt a sudden drastic change inside him, depression's grunge wiped from his mind and he felt his true personality shine through once more, a concentrated beam. The empty feeling from his stomach disappeared as he leapt to his feet.

"Really?! I'll go pack! I'll go pack and grab everything and-"

"Luke, we're kidding." His mother's smile turned slightly awkward, and her words caused the depressed grunge to retake the reins of the child's personality, slowly strangling the life and joy out of him.

"O-Oh." Luke froze, his voice returning to quiet and his eyes losing their sparkle. He bit his lip, eyes beginning to burn. His hands curled into fists, anger polluting his thoughts. He wanted to go home so badly, he'd do _anything._

Luke put his foot down and screamed in rage, looking rather pathetic. He kicked the chair and stormed off to his room, tears already streaming down his cheeks. He slammed the door behind him while his parents remained in shock.

Luke stared around his room, kicking the wall and collapsing onto his bed, bundling up his pillow in his arms and sobbing into it. His room was dark except for a night light in the corner which he had secretly, which he had felt himself needing since he moved, despite not having been scared of the dark before.

He wanted to go back to the professor. He got letters from him every now and then, but he wanted to hear his voice, he wanted to hold his hand. He wanted to be embraced warmly and kissed. He'd wished for it long before he moved, and he felt awful for not saying three small words as he left. He wanted to say "I love you".

He had been and was still deeply in love with him.

"P-Professah..." Luke felt his tears cease slightly. He sat up, hugging his pillow to his chest and giving it a quick kiss, trying to convince himself one day he'd one day see Layton again and get a kiss. He wanted it more than anything in the world.

Luke got up on shaky feet from his bed, going to his desk and picking up an empty sheet of paper. He kept the letters Layton sent him in a cardboard box, and he sometimes looked through them when he was feeling down. At the moment he felt saddened if he reached a hand towards the box, so he decided to write a letter to him instead.

Luke clicked a pen, beginning to write. He wasn't sure what to say, he sent a letter yesterday. He wrote at the top of the letter, "Dear Professor", before trying to think of what to write. He wasn't sure what to do, what to write. He gave up fairly quickly and wrote "I LOVE YOU" in large letters, feeling his emotion pour out in every pen stroke. He doodled a small heart as well.

He didn't feel satisfied with it. Ink strokes couldn't convey months of pent up and bottled up emotion, no matter what he tried. Luke bit his lip, sniffling and rubbing his eyes which were still wet with aggravated tears.

Luke heard a knock on his bedroom door which caught his attention easily.

"Luke? Honey? Can I come in?" His mother's concerned voice came behind the door, before knocking once more. Luke didn't feel the tiniest bit comforted, only spite. He ignored her, and heard the professor's voice echoing in his head on how ungentlemanly it was. He winced at the memory and tried to hold in further tears, before his mother left the door, deciding he needed some time to himself.

"I-I'm gonna r-run home..." Luke whispered to himself, quickly making his decision. He wasn't happy in the US and just wanted to go home. There was nothing here for him.

Luke crawled under his bed, pulling out a bag and started to get a few essential things that he thought he would need...


	3. Chapter 3

It was the dead of night, the world deep within the clutches of night. Unknown creatures were probably stalking their prey, possibly an unsuspecting hare, as their predators exploited the cover of darkness they considered lucky to have.

Luke had emptied out his school bag onto the floor, crushed papers, old homework he'd forgotten to do in his endless stupor, and notices for things that he'd forgotten about months ago. He left the contents on a crumpled heap on the floor, strangely reflective of his personality.

He packed lightly, a few bottles of water (knowing worriedly it wouldn't be enough), a lantern, a change of clothes, and a huge stack of paper in case he wanted to draw. He was always teased by the professor about how bad he was at packing lightly, and he had tried to pack only what he needed.

Luke crept downstairs, his school bag slung over his back. The mere idea of getting to see Layton again was enough to bring him up from his borderline catatonic state, but he continued to creep as to not wake his parents up.

He was tightly clutching a map of the city in his hands, which he couldn't read in the dark, but he had brought the lantern for a reason. Luke made a stop by the kitchen, grabbing some snacks and shoving them impulsively in his bag in case he got hungry. His father's wallet was laying untouched on the kitchen bench, laying slightly opened. The glint of a coin that slightly poked out, reflecting the moon's rays caught the child's eye.

"I should probably bring money..." Luke mumbled to himself, lumbering over to the wallet, reluctantly picking it up. He started carefully unzipping the cash packet and pulled out a few 20 dollar notes. He thought for a second before pulling out a few hundred dollars. It couldn't hurt. He felt a stabbing pulsing guilt, but it disappeared quickly.

He decided he'd gotten everything, and strolled towards the door, unlocking the front door with a click he wished wasn't so familiar. The door opened out into the dark void of the night outside, with a large city a few kilometres away in the distance. It shone and sent rays of light in Luke's direction, and even better, Luke knew there was a cargo ship going to London which he could stowaway on.

Luke pulled the door closed behind him, not feeling any regret or second thoughts about his decision. He didn't even turn back towards his place of physical residence. He couldn't make himself see it as his house, because that would be home. Home was not that house.

The small child was at the mercy of the world, map tucked at his side and power walking towards the alluring city lights, much like a moth to the flame. His eyes had been artificially lit up, although the city remained distant...

It took a long half hour to reach the city, Luke stepping into the street lights and feeling somewhat more comfortable. There was a small feeling that he didn't belong there which made him rather apprehensive about the whole situation, but he'd been feeling that way for almost months. The city life was rather different from back in London, but it was still quiet. There were only a few people on the streets, conveniently. 

Luke made his way to the docks, finding a huge boat that loomed over the city. It was a dark shape, kept to the dock by long chains that appeared to go into the boat's side. He heard footsteps gradually coming closer, and quickly crouched behind an area where chains were tied. Two men walked by carrying a small container into the ship. Luke tensed in fear while trying to stay quiet before hearing the familiar squeak of some rats.

Luke listened closely and eavesdropped on the two rodents that appeared to be talking about the ship that loomed over them, menacing and somewhat malicious. It was probably even worse for the small creatures, and Luke felt himself pitying them. They were probably terrified.

He couldn't pick up what they were saying exactly, as he wasn't the most fluent in rat, but they were travelling on the boat by scurrying up the chains. Luke yelped in surprise as the rats both jumped up onto the chains and began a hasty scurry up the chains, small legs moving swiftly and displaying surprising agility for their little fat bodies.

Luke glanced around, finding the men had left. He got to his feet slowly, still checking his surroundings and remaining alert in case they came back and noticed a small 8 year old boy who appeared to be lost. Luke leapt on the chains, each link about the size of him. He was a small boy following rats into a ship to stowaway. His hands blindly grabbed the freezing metal links, pushing himself up with his legs until he reached a hole in the side of the boat. 

Luke peered inside and saw nothing at all, but it was probably just ridiculously dark in there. Luke took a deep breath, closing his eyes and trying to focus on a mental image of the professor, before clambering into the hole.

Luke fell suddenly, making a yell in surprise, but hit the cold metal ground relatively safely. He couldn't see a thing, except for the moonlight that was shining through the hole. Luke's eyes adjusted to the darkness and he saw he was surrounded by wooden crates. He reached out to try and figure out where he was by feeling around, shuffling his legs for a second before suddenly a stabbing pain entered his leg, sending bolts of pain striking through his nervous system.

"WAHH!" Luke's yell echoed through the hull, his hand shooting to where the pain started. He stood up weakly, feeling the pained leg almost collapse. He sat up on a box and drew his hand to his face, finding a streak of red liquid on it. Red liquid was dripping down his calf, and he could see a bit of upturned metal on the ground. He bit his lip and tried to resist crying more, before weakly turning around and looking for something to wrap his wound in.

He limped through the hull until he heard whistling. Luke panicked, diving to the ground and trying to make himself as small as possible. Then footsteps. Someone must be coming down.

Luke curled up, trying to ignore the pain that demanded his attention. He shut his eyes and tried to focus on a mental image of the professor. Soon he'd be snuggled in his arms and in a loving, caring, understanding embrace... Luke managed to weakly smile for the first time in ages at the thought. It was genuine.

He heard the sounds of chains being pulled, before opening his eyes for a moment and having an idea. Although it wasn't going to be nice...

Luke sat up, slowly unzipping his bag and pulling out a pair of black shorts. He proceeded to tie them around his wound, and the pain became a bit more tolerable almost instantly. The stains would probably be impossible to get out, but his life was more important than a pair of shorts. He lay down again, trying to go unseen...

A few minutes later of laying down, the man left, and Luke sat up to survey what had changed. He found that everything was, once again, completely pitch black. The holes at the side of the hulls appeared to have been closed with presumably an airtight hatch, and the only light source was coming from a ladder in the corner of the room.

Luke felt safe once more, and the pain in his leg had been muted. A new sense began to gradually overwhelm him, slowly dawning on him. His eyelids felt heavy and he allowed them to shut. As his eyes fell shut, he felt a quiet rumble and the waves began to rock him gently to sleep...


	4. Chapter 4

Luke was awoken with the sound of human voices talking, all mixing together and just seeming unintelligible to his waking lazy mind. It was still dark and his eyes could hardly make out the human figures all standing over him, and his first thought was, by default, "professor". His second thought was, "I've been caught,".

Luke sat up, hearing a change in the tone of the people surrounding him, panic sliding down onto his mind and taking hold. Luke began to shuffle back.

"We have a stowaway." One mumbled. Luke couldn't tell if he was the captain or merely one of the lower ranked crew members. Luke felt tiny underneath their multiplied stares, all their eyes fixed on the helpless little boy.

"P-please don't hurt me!" Luke managed to get out, trying to get to his feet and run away, before getting another sharp jab of pain from his leg. Luke let out a yelp and collapsed back down, holding his leg. The bleeding had ceased and it appeared he would get out with no more but a small scar, but it still hurt.

"Are you alright?" A man stepped forward, wearing a coat and kneeling down. "What's your name, little boy?"

"Luke..."

"Last name?" The man appeared nonthreatening.

Luke opened his mouth to say "Triton" but felt an even more sharp stabbing in his heart. He didn't want to be Luke Triton. He wanted to marry the professor when he grew up and wanted to be Luke Layton.

"...Layton! Luke Layton!" Luke tweaked his hat, feeling pride inflate his chest. He felt a bit safer knowing that they hadn't immediately picked him up and hauled him over the side.

"Well, Luke Layton... Why did you climb on this boat? Your parents must be worried sick." The captain frowned at him.

"I... I'm going home. Home to London. My parents w-will be worried but... I don't like America..." Luke let his emotions flow out on the gentle river of his voice, without losing it or causing the stream to become raging white water rapids.

"And why is that?" The captain appeared to be getting information on Luke's intentions.

"I left b-behind someone very important to m-me..." Luke said, fond memories of Layton gently flicking through his mind seamlessly. Oh how he wished to return to him, and here he was.

"Was he a friend? You'll make n-"

"I've been here f-for 6 months! I've made new friends!" Luke protested to try and prove his case. "I'm just not happy there..."

"And how old are you?"

"Eight, s-sir."

The captain made a low "hmmm" noise for a second, getting up and staring down at the now blood stained shorts Luke had tied around his wound. He felt a bit bad for the child.

"We'll have to respect your rights and get you to London." The captain concluded. Luke's eyes shone as an image of Layton appeared in his head, welcoming him home with open arms and shiny eyes... Luke started beaming.

"Thank you s-s-so much!" Luke tried to get to his feet, but found it a bit difficult due to his wound. The captain frowned at the gash in concern for the child.

One of the crew members tapped the captain on the shoulder, speaking in stern quiet mumbles as if informing him. Luke made out a few mumbles about his wound.

"Luke, we should treat that wound in case it gets infected." The captain informed him. Luke just nodded and limped after the crew (with a bit of help) to the deck.

Luke's mother was walking to her son's room, feeling guilty about the night before. She feared he wouldn't forget the incident and was going to apologise, and wake him up. He often couldn't be bothered getting out of bed and would probably spend his whole life underneath the covers if she let him. But, school.

"Luke?" His mother turned the doorknob to his door and pushed the door open, sending beams of light into the dark room. "Luke, dear, it's time to go to school..."

She walked in, quickly noticing Luke was absent from his bed and papers emptied out on the ground. His mother immediately began to worry. Luke hadn't ever had the motivation to get out of bed, let alone get ready for school all by himself, and leave before she got up...

Although it was a silly thing to do, her motherly instincts immediately kicked in and her mind raced to examine all the worst case scenario possibilities...

Luke was having a gauze bandage wrapped around his treated wound, which had partially healed but would take quite a while for him to be free of. Luke had paid the crew a bit of money to forgive the whole stowing away thing. They accepted it, thankfully. As the bandages were being wrapped around, he stared out to the endless rolling, deep blue grey ocean. The salty breeze ran through Luke's hair and comforted him. He wasn't feeling too bouncy and social like he would have been 6 months ago, but he could feel the joyful side of him gradually becoming closer as he came closer and closer to London.

"Hey." Luke tried to talk to the crew member who was just finishing up the bandages.

"Yes?"

"How long until we get to London?" Luke feared the worst, the depressed fade on his mind still in effect, but gradually withering away by the hour. He curled up slightly in semi-fetal position, staring out at the sea some more.

"It should be about three days." The crew informed him. "Shouldn't take too long."

Luke smiled slightly. He could wait that long for the professor... As long as he got to see him within a week, it would be great...

Luke lay back on the chair he'd been given, allowing himself to zone out and go to his thoughts. Maybe he could think up a puzzle to give the professor when he got there... Zoning out was just relaxing, he had found since moving. It was just nice to be quiet.

Luke shut his eyes before hearing male, gruff quarrelling arise a few metres away. Luke's ears blocked it out, as he wanted to remain meditated on his thoughts. The problem wouldn't become apparent until he got a bit hungry a few hours later.

Luke's relaxing was interrupted after a few hours (he was used to doing absolutely nothing from his depressed moods) when his stomach started crying out for food. Luke sat up, hearing his stomach make a gentle rumbling. 

He could walk a bit easier with the bandage on his leg, and so he hobbled over to the nearest crew member who was pulling some ropes.

"Is there anything f-for lunch?" Luke asked with a gentle head tilt. 

The crew member gave a sigh. "Some rats got into the rations and ate them all."

"Is t-that bad?" Luke cringed and suddenly began to grow nervous.

"It means we hardly have anything to eat. There's hardly a quarter left of what we brought, and we didn't bring that much in the first place."


	5. Chapter 5

Layton opened the door to his house, feeling the empty silence almost consume him. He flicked the lights on, putting his bag on the ground and hanging his coat on a rack. The silence remained. It was like this every day he came home after a long day of talking to students and fending away a few completely smitten females. Everything felt empty. He often filled the silence with putting a shiny vinyl record down onto a gramophone and allowing the music to flood through the room. He selected a record from a small collection and fitted it down onto the gramophone, putting the needle to it and allowing the music to play. The silence was gone, but everything still felt empty.

He sat down, taking a book from the couch aside him. It had been 6 months but everything continued to feel empty, no matter what he filled the silence or space with. Layton sighed, flipping a page. Nothing could replace Luke's presence.

Luke would have brightened up his mood, and although he didn't show much affection... It was nice for him to be there. Layton wouldn't have admitted it, but he may have developed some romantic feelings towards the child. The word "child" hung in his mind and pained him with stabs of guilt, but he had the mental capabilities to keep his feelings under control.

Outside, a small child was trudging through filth. The descending choking darkness of the night stroked his throat and fed off his mental exhaustion and hunger. Yet, he felt like he was in paradise. Or at least on the outskirts. His eyes were wide, legs heavy with a bandage wrapped around one, and a weak pain in each step. He was on the verge from collapsing of hunger, but each pained and exhausted step brought him just that little bit closer to the core of paradise.

He approached a small apartment complex and entered the light. Hunger threatened to consume his insides, yet he pushed on regardless.

Layton heard a knock at his door. Layton gave a little "hm?" in mild surprise. No one usually had a reason to come to his place, especially at this time of night. Layton took a deep breath at the thought it could be one of his many university students who flirted and harassed him on a regular basis like there was no one else in the world, but they wouldn't go this far.

He got up and went to the door anyway, turning the door knob and opening the door for whoever was outside. It would be ungentlemanly to not open the door, after all...

The figure standing outside was staring up into his eyes with huge, pleading, exhausted and scarily familiar eyes. He had a bandage wrapped around a leg, his blue cap was slightly off angle, and his shirt was stained and looked pretty bad. One of his suspenders had slipped down slightly. He was carrying a backpack.

"Luke?!"

"P-Professah..." Luke's voice was a mere whimper. His eyes flickered slightly, before shutting and he appeared to just collapse uselessly on the ground. Layton felt a searing panic grip him. He pulled Luke into his arms, not questioning how he got there. He had to check he was okay.

Luke was still breathing, thankfully, and a quick check of his pulse proved he was fine. Layton lay Luke's body on the couch and tried to think what could have been wrong. He got a can of soup, heated it up quickly in the microwave and came back to the couch with the food in a bowl.

He got a spoon and quickly put a few spoonfuls of the soup in Luke's mouth, considering hunger may have been the issue. He hoped it was.

Layton felt a breeze blow through the open doorway. He turned his head towards the door, and noticed the door wide open, along with an envelope laying on the ground. Layton got to his feet, walking over to close the door and pick up the envelope. On one side, "To: Hershel Layton" was written on it in Luke's clumsy handwriting. He leaned on the door to close it, and gently tore open the envelope.

He pulled out a folded slip of paper. It looked like one of Luke's letters... He unfolded the paper and saw "I LOVE YOU" written in pen, in huge letters in messy ink strokes. There was a small pink heart in the side as well, coloured in nicely. Layton took a few seconds to take it all in, feeling dizzy for a moment and sitting back down on the couch. 

Luke opened his weary eyes a few seconds later, glancing around and lifting a hand to his head. He didn't speak but lifted a hand to his head. He felt dizzy and slumped down slightly, but realised food was in his mouth and quickly swallowed. His eyes focused on Layton reading the letter over and over, before noticing he had tears in his eyes.

"P-Professah..." Luke noticed Layton, sitting up a bit and enjoying the overall gentle familiar smell of Layton's house - _his_ house. He felt at home for the first time in months... Layton suddenly wrapped his arms around Luke and held him closely in a tight loving hug. 

"I don't care how you got here for now. I'm just glad you're here..." Layton said in a whisper.

"D-Do you l-l-love me? R-Romantically?!" Luke's eyes turned to the letter that the professor had read. His heart accelerated.

"I always have."


	6. Chapter 6

Luke felt tears come to his eyes, relief washing over him. He pressed his face into Layton's orange familiar shirt, listening to his heartbeat and feeling the most warmth in forever. Layton ruffled Luke's once silky hair, feeling the strands which had sadly lost some lustre from getting here and being too depressed to properly wash his hair.

Layton gently pulled Luke's face from his chest, leaning down gradually. Luke shut his eyes and allowed the professor to kiss him. Luke pressed his hands to Layton's chest while the professor held him. The two enjoyed each other's company, and both felt in paradise. Luke felt any depression leave him, merely melting away in the kiss.

Layton pulled back and continued snuggling the child in his arms. Luke buried his face in Layton's chest affectionately, before yawning.

"Professah... I'm sleepy..." Luke murmured, eyelids beginning to feel heavy. He struggled to keep his eyes open, but he didn't want to be away from Layton's side.

"Do you want me to tuck you in?" Layton kept Luke firmly wrapped in his arms, but appeared to speak with a subtle joy in his voice. Luke could hear it and it made him feel loved. Layton was his most favourite thing in the world.

"Can I sleep in your bed with you?" Luke asked in a shy voice, before yawning and rubbing his eyes.

"If you w-want." Layton squeezed Luke a little in his arms and stood up, lifting him and carrying him. Luke smiled up at Layton with a cute little beam.

Layton carried the tired child down a corridor of his apartment flat and opened the door to his room.

"Do you s-still have some of m-my pyjamas here?" Luke asked in a tired drawl, but cute would be the last thing that tiredness would take from him.

Layton paused for a moment. "Pyj-? Oh. Yes." Layton's voice was neutral but appeared to have underlying disappointed tones. He put Luke down on the ground and gestured to the door of his old room. Luke had left some of his stuff in London when he moved.

Luke pushed open the door to his room and found it was spotless. His bed had a few unfamiliar plushies, a new duvet, stuff on the dresser... Layton must have put some stuff in there.

Luke opened his old pyjama drawer and pulled on some old silky shirt over his head Layton had bought for him, and light shorts. Luke met Layton again in the hallway, who had just changed into a casual loose fitting shirt and shorts. Luke hadn't seen Layton in casual clothing, and it came across as quite a surprise.

"Those look cute." Layton commented with a smile at Luke's silky soft long-sleeved pyjamas. A blush crossed Luke's soft cheeks as his hands pushed the door open to Layton's room.

Luke pretty much jumped onto the bed, bouncing a little bit before laying down and snuggling under the covers. Layton shut the door, assuming Luke wasn't going to be afraid of the dark when he was there.

"Is this too dark?"

"Of course not, professah - you're here to protect me anyway~"

Layton smiled at Luke's trust, sliding in beside him and finding the boy immediately clinging to his side.

Layton rolled onto his side and wrapped his arms around Luke, pulling him into a warm embrace for the night. Luke gently kissed Layton's chest and shut his eyes. He was back to his normal peppy self again, complete.

Layton had wanted to hug Luke like this for a while, and felt at peace now that he could. He felt Luke fall limp in his embrace as the child fell asleep. He fell asleep in his arms. Layton was in a silent heaven over how much Luke loved and trusted him. He was gradually feeling himself falling asleep...

Luke woke up that morning to find Layton's lips pressed to his forehead. It was a nice way to wake up. Layton was asleep, however, but even so.

"Good morning, professah..." Luke whispered, planting a sweet little kiss on his chest and taking one of his hands, gently licking his fingers affectionately.

Layton remained asleep for a few minutes but woke up to find the child with his eyes closed and sucking on his index finger lovingly. He didn't stop Luke, but stroked his hair.

"Good morning, my boy." Layton greeted him in his mellow tones. Luke opened his eyes again, stopping the nomming on his finger and snuggled into Layton more.

"I'm afraid today I'm going to need to ask you some things about how you got here." Layton ruffled Luke's hair for compensation. "Is that okay?"

"It's fine..." Luke was clearly more focused on Layton ruffling his hair and gently massaging his scalp.


	7. Chapter 7

Luke sat on a plush couch, staring down into his reflection in a cup of his favourite tea Layton had brewed for him. He'd even stirred in an extra spoonful of sugar to make it even nicer.

"So." Layton sat down next to the child, trying to put him at ease with his presence. "How did you get back to London?"

"I stowed away on a boat." Luke replied easily, before taking a long thoughtful sip of the rather sugary tea, enjoying each drop and feeling at home once again.

"I see..." Layton said in a mumble. "I have no intention of making you go back to your parents, but..."

"What if they try to take me away?!" Luke had a sudden realisation, pressing himself to Layton.

"They most likely will determine your location and demand you home." Layton said solemnly. "Why did you come here, anyway?"

"I..." Luke remembered the constant, ceaseless daily grinding on his life since he had moved. "I wasn't h-happy... Nothing could replace you..." He gently pressed himself to Layton's side.

"Even though your parents will try to get you back..." Layton assured him, "I'll fight for you. I promise."

"Really?"

"I was your legal guardian, it shouldn't be too difficult." Layton comforted Luke, giving him a quick reassuring peck on the cheek.

"I just h-hope they won't find me..." Luke said a bit nervously, eyes glazing over for a second before reaching up with a hand to touch his hair which had the texture of straw due to not being washed in a while. "I think I'll go have a shower and wash my hair..." Luke rose to his feet, trotting to the bathroom as Layton quietly basked in the child's voice echoing around in his head.

There was a loud knock at the door. Layton got up after quickly shaking his mind out of his thoughts. He opened the front door and found two cops standing at the door.

"Excuse me. Are you Professor Layton?" One said in a gruff voice. Layton started feeling a tad nervous but managed to keep his composure.

"Yes. is there anything you need, sirs?" Layton put on a welcoming smile.

"We have heard a report of a missing child who supposedly ran away from the United States. It's a stretch, but some child named Luke Triton ran away and his parents are demanding to search London just in case he somehow got here. Do you know anything of his location?"

Layton could hear the shower running inside from behind a closed door. The sound was quiet but it was throbbing in his head.

"But why ask me?"

"His parents seem to say he was very fond of you and borderline obsessed with returning to London."

Layton wasn't sure whether he should so openly declare that Luke had run into his arms and had the light flow back into his eyes from doing so, but he couldn't lie. It would be ungentlemanly.

"He may have arrived at my house last night, exhausted and beaten by the elements. I have taken care of him for the time being."

The cops immediately walked inside, pushing Layton aside easily. They looked around the house without saying a word, searching the room with their eyes.

"He's just busy for the time being." Layton explained. The cops probably heard the shower running... "In the meantime, may I interest you in a cup of tea?"

By the time Luke had changed into some clothing he'd left behind at Layton's place, consisting of a white (un-ironed and crinkled) shirt, denim shorts, and some suspenders he threw on as well. He left his signature hat on the dresser, however. He had blow dried his hair and combed it a bit to impress the professor to top it all off.

Luke trotted into the living room with a spring in his step, a rosy glow in his cheeks and glittering sparkling eyes.

"Professah~! I was-" Luke's joyful bouncy voice was interrupted by his eyes scanning over the two cops. He suddenly shrunk slightly, shrivelling up inside in worry.

"And that's him." Layton said and tried to reassure Luke using merely his voice. Luke promptly ran over to the professor, grabbing him and pressing his cheek against his.

"I'm not going back to my parents!" Luke said in a flustered whine, wrapping his arms tighter around Layton as if to emphasize it. Layton was a bit concerned over Luke's display for a second but felt soft strands of the child's nicely washed hair brush up against his cheek.

"Are you Luke Triton?" One of the cops asked the child softly, trying to seem friendly.

"Luke Layton!" Luke said, getting more and more flustered by the second.

"Luke..." Layton mumbled as if to say 'please don't let them know about our relationship's extent'.

"Luke Layton, ey?" One of the cops said before giving a chuckle.

"Yeah!" Luke's eyes glittered and shimmered. "I'm gonna marry the professah when I grow up!"

Layton shut his eyes momentarily, taking a deep breath slowly, inhaling and exhaling. Luke could be troublesome sometimes, despite how cute it was.

"Are you now? Maybe one day you'll find a nice girl instead." The cop smiled, not taking Luke's words seriously. Layton was quietly relieved, and Luke looked as if he really wanted to sit on the professor's lap but didn't want to get in trouble.

"Well. We found him." One cop said to the other, before getting up. "Thank you for your time. Layman, is it?"

"Hershel Layton."

"And Luke Layton!" Luke added with a bounce in his voice. The cops gave him a smile and they both left.

"Luke. I _will_ make sure you don't have to go home." Layton assured Luke, gently ruffling his hair which was now astoundingly and almost mesmerizing soft. Luke shut his eyes, making a little purring and cuddling up to Layton's side.


	8. Chapter 8

Layton had treated Luke to a romantic candle-lit dinner to try and calm him from the dilemma earlier, which had worked and swung his emotions from a lingering dread to a calm charmed romantic mood. Luke was snuggled to the professor's side, his head laying on his shoulder, late at night. Layton was reading by dimmed light while the child gently pressed to his side, eyes shut and asleep.

There was a knock at the door. Layton gave a sigh for a moment, not feeling up to getting up, especially when Luke was happily asleep with a head on his shoulder. Layton planted a small kiss on Luke's head, getting up and properly laying him down, before going to the door and opening it.

A man stood outside, wearing a mailman uniform.

"What is it that you need?" Layton greeted him.

"I have a telegram from overseas. The United States, supposedly." The man held out a small slip of crisp white paper with ink printed into it. Layton took it, but wanted to get the man away as quickly as possible.

"Thank you." Layton tipped his hat and closed the door, feeling a bit guilty over shutting the door in his face, but he needed to read the telegram (and Luke was probably feeling a bit cold). He plopped down next to Luke, and wrapped an arm around him and kissed his forehead.

The telegram was from Luke's parents. Layton sighed deeply once more. It was inevitable, and he knew it was coming, but it hurt nevertheless.

"We will come to pick Luke up. Thank you for looking after him."

Layton put the note aside almost aggressively, shutting his eyes to try and calm himself. To calm himself, he lifted Luke into his arms and cuddled him to his chest. He felt as if he shouldn't, but he genuinely wanted Luke to stay with him. His life felt empty without the child at his side, carrying his bouncy resilience, solving mysteries and puzzles. He gently sniffed Luke's chocolate coloured hair and picked him up in his arms, walking to his room. Luke's eyes opened slightly, but he pressed his face into the professor's chest and made a little "nya~"

Layton put Luke down, who made gentle steps and flopped on the bed, burying his face in the pillow and crawling underneath the covers. Layton snuggled up to Luke, both shutting their eyes and finding themselves taken by sleep's embrace.

The next morning, Luke was sitting at the table, scoffing down some pancakes drenched in expensive golden maple syrup. Layton had made a whole stack and was still making more. Luke's smile was radiant and seemed to distribute joy to the entire room.

"Luke, I received a telegram last night." Layton broke.

"From who?" Luke tilted his head slightly to the left, blinking twice. He was basically just radiating and pulsing rays of cuteness onto every surface. The entire room appeared a bit brighter and cuter entirely due to him.

Layton tipped his top hat over his eyes, sighing regretfully. "Your parents. They said a thank you for looking after you and are coming to pick you up." The atmosphere felt quiet and solemn, somehow making him feel sick.

Luke jolted violently for a second, fingers clawing and his cute little face gripped and tense with worry.

"Luke--"

"Please don't l-let them take me away!" Luke was tense and panicked. He gripped the table and started hyperventilating. Layton put everything down, rushing to Luke's side and giving him a hug to try and calm him. Luke started to sob into the professor's chest.

"I promised that I'll fight as hard as I can to let you stay." Layton gently stroked Luke's back to try and comfort him. Luke's tears quickly stopped, but he still found himself a bit nervous.

"P-Promise that you'll win?" Luke's slightly swollen reddened eyes peered up into Layton's, and he felt his heart crack and break.

"I... I want to promise." Layton bit his lip slightly. His parents had all the rights to keep Luke in their loving arms and accidentally degrade him back into a hollow, apathetic catatonic shell. "I can't promise that I'll win but I can promise I'll fight to the end."

"To the v-very end?"

"To the very end." Layton planted a kiss on Luke's forehead and hugged him more wholeheartedly. Luke melted into Layton's arms and felt comfort wash over him once more. The two held the hug in silence, both not wanting to stop. They both needed each other in a sense.

"Professah..." Luke softly whispered as he nuzzled Layton's chest. "Can we have a really f-fun day out? Just having fun l-like a normal couple?"

"You know we can't display our affections.. " Layton said a bit disappointedly. It would be nice to go out on a date.

"Can't we keep it s-subtle?" Luke suggested, voice becoming less worried and more hopeful.

"We could try that..." Layton pondered and tossed the idea around in his head, before smiling once he had an idea. "Do you want to get changed into your normal clothing? We can head out then."

Luke pulled back, nodding furiously and getting to his feet. "I'll get changed as quickly as possible!"  
He started dashing down the corridor to his room.

That day was particularly tiring. They did everything from the zoo, where Luke managed to hold indepth conversations with the animals, to the theatre, to having a nice dinner at a restaurant. They were able to exchange quick romantic messages through muted whispers and the occasional quick hug. They stayed up late at night to stretch the day out as long as possible while wringing out any more fun from the day, until they fell asleep in each other's loving, accepting embrace...


	9. Chapter 9

Luke opened his eyes that morning, having left sleep's embrace and began to gradually travel back to the waking world. He was laying underneath some soft fluffy neatly stitched blankets with a cream duvet atop. Luke was cuddled into Layton's arms, being bundled up and held closely in a protective embrace.

Luke smiled weakly. The professor was still asleep... Luke gently pushed himself up and kissed Layton's lips briefly, enjoying the gentle chills it sent through his system like little droplets of water on a windshield.

Layton's eyes fluttered open a few seconds after their lips met. Luke was content pressing his face into Layton's pyjama shirt for the time being, possibly sniffing it and nibbling on the buttons.

Layton pulled Luke into a proper hug, before throwing the covers back. He had some puzzles that needed solving.

"Can't we just snuggle for a bit, p-professah?" Luke complained as Layton got up, who was reaching for his signature top hat waiting on a bedside table. Luke propped himself up on his elbows.

"I would like to, my boy, but there are puzzles that need to be solved."

"Can't we do that later?"

"It's making the most of the day." Layton turned around, ruffling Luke's silky chocolate hair slowly. Luke couldn't argue and relaxed, making gentle purring with his eyes closed.

The two both got up, Luke running to the kitchen to grab breakfast, while Layton went to go have a shower. By the time Layton was changed and wandering to the kitchen, Luke had prepared a plate of toast and a cup of tea to accompany, with small wisps of steam dispersing into the air.

"I made it for you, professah!"

"Thank you." Layton took the small teacup and plate, going to the table and feeling Luke's eyes follow him.

Luke bounded to the table, nearly dropping a bowl of cereal with far too much milk and spilling a few drops on the floor. He sat down right next to Layton, so they were shoulder to shoulder.

"Mm~" Luke wrapped his arms around Layton and squeezed tightly, making a happy little noise. Layton felt a smile transmit to his face.

"I _LOVE_ you!" Luke let out a squeal and recieved his hair being fluffed up in response.

The joyous atmosphere radiating and reflecting from every surface was suddenly extinguished by a knock at the door.

Luke felt a nervous twang in his heart. Layton got up, fearing who might be at the door.

"Is..." Luke said in a voice barely above a whisper, the rest of his question failing to escape his throat.

Layton took the cold door handle and opened the door, spotting two familiar smiling faces.

"Luke! Darling!" Luke's mother and father stood in the doorway, smiling with legitimate and relieved smiles. His mother looked over his shoulder at her child, who was staring with shocked eyes, eyes that didn't want to believe his parents were there.

Layton was pushed aside by both Luke's parents, who rushed to the table. His mother picked him up, hugging him tightly with tears beginning to fall down her cheeks in small streams.

Luke kept his eyes fixed on Layton who was trying to talk with his father. He felt a kiss on his cheek from his mother.

Luke's eyes glazed over slightly, shine fading. They appeared to become detached from reality.

"Luke Triton! How did you get all the way here?" His father's voice bellowed in disappointment, more saddened that his son had run away.

"Honey, we found him and we're going home. Be happy!" "Brenda, Clark..." "Hershel..."

Everything blended together in Luke's ears into a mess of voices with hardly any cohesion. His mother put him down on the ground, patting his head. Luke immediately grabbed Layton's leg, clinging to it and feeling safe. He buried his face in the side.

"Please, Clark!" Layton managed to get both of Luke's parents to listen to him.

"As much as you want Luke to go home with you..." Layton shut his eyes for a moment, inhaling deeply through his nose and pausing for a moment. "I believe it would be best for him to stay here in London."

Luke's eyes met with the unmoved faces of his parents. His grip tightened on Layton to show that he did indeed want to stay.

"What makes you say that?" Luke's parents remained looking slightly confused.

"He ran all the way here because he wasn't happy." Layton began to explain. His voice usually kept the attention of people. "He wasn't happy after 6 whole months even after making friends. He deteriorated."

Luke gave a little nod in confirmation.

"As painful as it must be, you do want your son to be happy, don't you?" Layton tried to get through to the boy's parents. He wrapped an arm around Luke who continued to cling to him with no intention of letting go within the near future.

Brenda looked down the child she had raised and loved dearly, the boy she'd die defending. The boy that no longer wanted to be with her. She was trembling.

"I..." Brenda said, not sure what to say. She did want Luke to be happy... "Do you want to stay here, Luke?"

"I do." Luke tried to put a stern expression on his cute soft face. It just made him look adorable.

His parents looked at each other, looking like a great heap of suddenly descending melancholy was wrapping itself around their throats and joking the joy out of them. Luke didn't feel any splash of sadness seeing their fading expressions.

Luke's mother spun around on her heel, storming out the door and carrying a negative aura around her that would lash out at anyone with verbal golden streaks of searing hot lightning. His father followed hastily, worried for his wife.

"Brenda!" Layton took off after them, leaving Luke in the now deathly, consumingly quiet apartment. The door hung open and blew cold air directly into Luke's face. He reached forward and closed the door with a familiar click. The apartment was in an empty silence that begged to be filled by Layton's voice.

Luke was feeling queasy from worry, and he stumbled to the couch and collapsed on it. His stomach felt dry and just overall odd. He really didn't want to go back to the US with with his parents. He could hardly function without being with the professor, merely a dead-eyed husk of himself.

Luke heard the door click and swing open. Then footsteps. He felt his heart begin to race and thump wildly in his small chest as Layton entered the room, walking towards him calmly. His relaxed demeanour sent a few gentle pulses into Luke's soul and fuelled his hope.

"S-so?" Luke said in a croaky voice. His throat was a bit sore.

"Well... There's still plenty of legal stuff to go through..." Layton murmured a bit, "but by the end of it, I'll be your legal guardian again, and you'll be staying here." A grin spread across his weary face.

Luke's eyes caught on passion fuelled fire.


	10. Chapter 10

_Three_ _months_ _later_ _..._

The sunlight had just poked out from behind the dark, thick and brooding London clouds which were beginning to disperse, mumbling and sending bolts of lightning elsewhere. It was the late afternoon and puddles pooled on the footpaths, from which tiny rays of light shone into and created a glitter that danced across the surface.

Luke Triton's equally glittery and shiny eyes, alert but relaxed observed the scenery with a great passion. He was making his way home after a long day at school, stepping in every puddle and sending little ripples going over the surface. He was a lot happier and more functional now that he was back home in London, and his emotions were back in full colour and potency. Although he did miss his parents slightly, he got regular letters and it was enough. They had made Layton promise to get him into a school if he wanted to stay in London, but he had friends, nice teachers and of course, Layton to return home to every day. Life was great.

Luke got to Layton's house. He skipped up to the door, grasping the door handle in his hand and turning it. The door was unlocked for him. It was a small little thing but to Luke it was beautiful. He stepped inside, feeling enveloped in the atmosphere. He put his bag down at the door and took his shoes off, shut the door with a click, and bounced inside to find where the professor was.

"Professah!" Luke bounded into the cosy and welcoming atmosphere of Layton's study, all in lavish sophisticated shades of reddish brown. Layton was sitting at his desk, hunched over some fossils which he'd been staring at with interest, but the day was beginning to gnaw away at his patience. He wanted to go out and quickly get some puzzles done. Luke's voice brightened his mood and lifted it slightly.

Layton swung around on his chair, his eyes finding Luke in front of him, eyes glittering and a sweet little smile on his face. He looked completely adorable in his slightly scruffy school uniform, innocence radiating from all over. Luke leapt into Layton's open arms, receiving a long hug. They'd both had a long day and needed each other. Layton quickly planted a gentle kiss on Luke's forehead and held him closely.

"How was school, my boy?" Layton continued to hold Luke who had snuggled into his chest, gently enjoying his warmth and comfort.

"It was great~!"

"Learn anything?"

Luke lifted his head, their eyes meeting and sparkling. "Yeah! But I'm really good at everything, and the other students always ask me for help!"

Layton gave a relieved smile, glad that Luke was doing well again.

"Do... Do you miss your parents?" Layton asked.

"Nope!" Luke didn't seem to miss them at all. "I only need you!" He gripped Layton's shirt and nuzzled it a bit more, enjoying the familiar scent and indulging in it. Layton didn't reply but merely continued to embrace Luke warmly.

Luke felt well and truly home here. The scent, the temperature, the professor... It was amazing. Layton felt whole again. Luke had refilled the hole in his heart and filled the silence with his presence and sparkly eyed joy.

And once again, everything was perfect.


End file.
